He Trapani Basketballteam of the Italian Serie A of basketball mired in a sporting and financial crisis, appeared this Tuesday with five players for the game of Champions Leaguand before him Hapoel Holon and he did not even finish the first quarter, although he avoided a financial fine of 600 thousand euros.
The Italian team, enveloped in uncertainty due to its financial situation, which has caused the players to disband, did not appear on the last day of Serie A against Virtus Bolognaso the match was declared lost a total of 20-0.
In this case, there were five players who took to the court, including two youth players aged 17 and 18. The players of the Sicilian team did not compete as expected in a continental competition and the 38-5 partial in the first 7 minutes showed this.
After a few minutes the players left the court until they left the two youth players alone. One of them committed his fifth personal foul and the referees declared the end of the game.
The Italians were automatically eliminated from the Champions FIBAannounced the competition. “According to the Art. 14.5.4 of the BCL Competition Regulationsa club that loses any match due to non-appearance or default in the Play-Ins and the Play-Offs will lose the series. After the above, Hapoel Netanel Holon qualifies for the round of 16 of the Basketball Champions League,” the statement read.
The game between Hapoel Netanel Holon and Trapani Shark has been recorded as a loss by default for Trapani (38-5), as the team had fewer than two (2) players on the court ready to play.
According to Art. 14.5.4 of the BCL Competition Regulations, a club that loses any game by… pic.twitter.com/nHM46BDkqN
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) January 6, 2026
The president of the club, Valerio Antoninithanked the players for taking to the field and avoiding a fine of 600,000 euros.
“I thank the players who have traveled to Bulgaria to make this appearance, clearly indecorous, but which saves the club a fine of €600,000 that the Basketball Champions League “He had notified us in case of non-appearance,” he wrote on Facebook.
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“Thanks to the Italian Basketball Federation already Liga for having reduced ourselves to these conditions, blocking registrations, not allowing 5+5 nor the coach’s registration Latins. An absolute shame that not even the federation of Sicily has tried to put on the brakes. The moment of truth will come after the steps that have been taken in these hours and the damage they have caused us is incalculable,” he stated.
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